Concerns over baby scans at private unit in Wigan

The owner of a private baby scan unit has promised to make improvements to protect pregnant women after its first watchdog visit raised concerns.
The service offers baby scansThe service offers baby scans
The service offers baby scans

Show Your Bump, based on Gidlow Lane, has been rated as “requires improvement” in its first inspection from the Care Quality Commission.

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The service, run by Wendy Williams, provides 2D, 3D and 4D baby keepsake and gender scans.

In their post-visit report, inspectors expressed worry about a lack of staff training and “risks” in infection prevention and control and a lack of sinks in the toilets or hand-washing facilities in the scan room.

They wrote: “The service did not have suitable premises or use appropriate control measures to manage the risk of infection.

“The service did not always control infection risk well and did not always use control measures to prevent the spread of infection, although staff kept themselves, the equipment and the premises clean.”

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“The service did not have an infection prevention and control policy, but staff had access to infection control guidance contained in the staff handbook.

“There was no sink within the toilet facilities or hand washing facilities in the scan room.”

CQC officials stated that although there were concerns, there was no record of anyone having caught an infection at the premises.

Out of five categories under inspection, Show your Bump was rated as “inadequate” in the well-led category, “requires improvement” in the safe and responsive categories, “good” in the caring category and was not marked for its effectiveness due to insufficient evidence.

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When inspecting how well the service was led, inspectors raised serious concerns about the lack of staff training and risk assessment for the customers.

They said: “Staff did not complete mandatory training appropriate for their roles. Staff did not always understood how to protect patients from abuse but they knew how to contact other agencies to raise any safeguarding issues.

“The provider did not have clear operational policies for the service in place, or a system to ensure these were followed by all staff. The service did not have systems to identify risks, or plans to eliminate or reduce them.”

Following the visit Ms Williams said staff were working hard to bring the clinic standards up to “outstanding” ahead of their next inspection.

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“It’s good that we have been given advice on how to make improvements,” she said. “We have started to make changes already. The staff have started the training recommended by the CQC.

“We have not had an inspection for five years, this is our first one. They have been preoccupied with NHS places so a lot of people have been left to their own devices.

“The only issues are that we didn’t get the training done but that is easily fixed. We are really happy that we have been rated good as caring. We are going to build on the positives. They have told us what they require of us and we know exactly where we are going.”

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